Seeking Balance in All Things.

Tag: exercise

I’ve been in a low recently. Booo hissss. Good news is, I’m climbing on up! I’ve done some soul searching, some meditation, lots of reading…you get the picture. My mind and soul are feeling much better, but I have still been lacking in the body department. Since my goal is balance in all things, I’ve gotta get my butt in gear!! Get movin’!

I made this infographic to share some much-needed motivation for myself & anyone else feeling the struggle.

How does it work?

Tabata is just one, in a list of 5.895 BILLION, workout styles. Tabata also falls under a popular style you may have heard of before, high intensity interval training (aka- HIIT).

Tabata gets its super fun name from Dr. Izumi Tabata, a Japanese scientist. He and a team of researchers discovered the benefits of this style of workout at the National Fitness Institute in Tokyo.

Dr. Tabata found that:

4 minutes of Tabata = 60 min jog (same # of calories burned)

High-intensity exercise is more effective than moderate-intensity exercise at improving BOTH aerobic & anaerobic capacity.

The body burns calories for up to 12 HOURS after a Tabata workout

Tabata, when done right, is INTENSE*!

*If you are new to this whole working out thing, don’t let that scare you away. You can still give Tabata a go…Just LISTEN to your body.

How to Tabata…

To perform a true Tabata workout :

10 minute warm-up

This is IMPORTANT! Warm up those muscles. Get those juices flowing. Don’t skip this step!

20 sec of HIGH-INTENSITY movement

Seriously, HIGH-INTENSITY…SWEAT IT OUT!!! You got this!

Follow with 10 second rest

It will be the shortest 10 seconds of your life! I promise!

Repeat for 8 rounds

As long as your body can handle it, just LISTEN to your body!! (I like to say that…have you noticed?)

Yep that’s it 4 minutes. Just 4 minutes. These should be the most intense 4 minutes of your life. If not, go HARDER the next time!

Can’t make the 4 minutes?!? Don’t sweat it…ok well, you aren’t going to be able to help the sweat, but it’s ok if you need to do 4 rounds, or 2 rounds for that matter. This workout style is TOUGH!!!!

How NOT to Tabata…

Although short, this workout is not meant to be easy. If it is easy, you are doing it WRONG!

Do NOT skip your warm up (For real, just DO IT….don’t get an injury b/c you are TOO TOUGH or TOO BUSY for a warm-up!).

True Tabata does NOT work with EVERY exercise.* (Yes, you can do ANYTHING for 20 seconds…but you gotta make sure it’s INTENSE! Depending on your ability, it may be hard to push certain exercises to the intensity you need to get true Tabata results.)

*Unless you’re that person I talked to earlier…the beginner, or the beginner-again (like me the 101st time I went back to working out after a loooong hiatus). For you, my friend, I have good news and bad news. Good news! If you haven’t been active pretty much ANY movement is gonna be intense for you! Bad News! If you haven’t been active pretty much ANY movement is gonna be intense for you! 😉

Now you know, so…

Get on it!! Seriously, quick and efficient, Tabata is an awesome workout style to add to your fitness arsenal.

Pick one and get started on some SUPA INTENSE 4 minutes!!

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I’m constantly saying, “Don’t you wish there were a magic pill you could take that would immediately make you healthy, happy, and HOT?” You may be laughing but I bet you’ve said the exact same thing!

I’m happy to inform you today that there IS a MAGIC PILL!!! One that cures just about anything that might ail ya! One that EVERYONE has access to! One that has NO nasty side effects! One that is FREE, even if you don’t have awesome insurance! One that begins working IMMEDIATELY!

Yep, you guessed it…EXERCISE = MAGIC PILL!

Look, I know this is not rocket science. I know that most everyone on the planet has heard the benefits of exercise over and over.

My question is, WHY AREN’T WE LISTENING?

I read an article in TIME magazine discussing the science behind exercise. Exercise is scientifically proven to alleviate and aide in numerous body functions. Exercise can regenerate neurons in the brain…holding off nasty disease processes like dementia and Alzheimer’s. Exercise boosts your brain power!!

Exercise is really the FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH! Who doesn’t want to stumble into that and come out with shiny hair, glowing skin and a toned, firm body?? I do! I do! Exercise reverses aging on a cellular level!

This information has my mind going in a million directions…

Why do we run to chemical medications to heal our body, instead of doing our best to prevent the illnesses in the first place?

Why do we fill our bodies full of junk and then expect them to function normally?

Why do insurance companies pay for preventative medicine, but not gym memberships?

If we know how to prevent sickness, if we know that exercise changes a person all the way down to their cells, why are the masses not taking advantage of this miracle cure?

The excuses are always hanging around. Not enough time. Too hard. Not fun.

It’s time to kick those excuses to the curb. Exercise doesn’t have to be a marathon. You don’t have to take on CrossFit or American Ninja Warrior workouts. If you are new to the world of movement, start small. Take a thirty minute stroll through your neighborhood. If you are pinched for time, make it snappy. Doing a 10 minute high intensity interval workout is just as effective as a longer, lower intensity, workout. Do anything that makes you feel good, the only requirement = MOVE YOUR BODY!!

You are now my witnesses. I am going to do my best to educate every person that I know about the miracles of exercise (even though that sounds super cheesy). I am going to sing it from the rafters (ok, maybe not the rafters because I’m scared of heights)! A magic, miracle drug is out there! Waiting for you to take advantage of it!!!

Who’s with me? Let’s dive into the fountain of youth!!!

If you aren’t convinced already here are 50 more reasons to get that body moving!!

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I’ve been a personal trainer for 10 years now…whoa…. it’s been a minute!

Thanks to personal training I’ve had the pleasure of working with some pretty cool folks! I landed my very first personal training job working for two professional bodybuilders John DeFendis and the late Mat DuVall (…talk about an intimidating interview! These guys are HUGE!). I owe my start in the business, and a lot of knowledge about training/nutrition, to them. They gave me a foundation that to this day remains timeless. In a world of fitness fads, they taught me that new isn’t always better.

Many trainers and individuals have served as inspiration for my fitness journey. Each and every one of them pushed me to break past intimidation and reach for what I wanted out of life. There is one trainer that does happen to stand out from the rest…

Love this guy!

I met my handsome husband, Brent, at the gym. He was a fellow trainer, just some crazy guy that tended to loiter in my office a little too long. He and I began working out together and to be honest I stole a LOT of training ideas from him (shhhh it will be our secret).

Fact is, no one has been more inspiring/encouraging to me than my hubs, Brent (note: no one has ever driven me more crazy either!). He has taught me tons in our crazy life together. He helped, still helps me, face my fears. My fears of not being good enough. My fears of being left behind. My fears of other’s opinions. He taught me it was ok to fail (in & out of the gym). He held my hand and led me to accept myself for who I was.

Enough of the sappiness…he also taught me proper form, weight-lifting technique, how to use hand wraps, the importance of having a decent spotter and a TON about eating to be lean. Brent is an old-schooler when it comes to fitness. If you wanna know how to get the best physique quickly and efficiently he’s your man! He is responsible for the fact that I am, and forever will be, a lifter at heart. I mean for real, I like the movie Pumping Iron. I blame him completely.

I have lazy days (ok, weeks). I am a real person (with real shit to deal with). I work a full time job. I am no longer able to spend hours and hours at the gym. But…

I still love all things fitness! While Brent is an old-school iron pumper. I am random. Especially in fitness! I get bored with the same ol’ routines, same ol’ classes, same ol’ results. I am constantly switching things up. I am a lover of Crossfit, Yoga, Zumba, Kickboxing, Boot Camp, Bodybuilding, Tabata, Cycling, Hiking, etc.

I have recently been slacking off in my eating and exercise routine! What a difference in how I feel. I am dragging!! I am logging off now, I have a hot date with my stairs…Look for a full body stair workout post soon!!!

I hope that by sharing my story I can inspire someone else to push past the fear! Take charge of your life! If I can do it, YOU CAN DO IT!!!!